I guess that when talking about beekeeping equipment then hives are the place to start. There is a huge amount to think about before you start and it is really important to consider all your choices before you start as it is a real pain to change over along your journey as all your beloved tools and hive parts may not be compatible with your desired set-up in the future.
Types of Hive
There are loads of different types of Hive available. Loosely speaking here are a few of the more popular ones. All hives have pros and cons but it is something really important to think about in the early stages of your beekeeping journey. Whilst not the end of the world, having the wrong hive choice for your desired outcome will be difficult to change and will mean that your equipment inventory will have non compatible parts. This can be a real pain in many aspects so most beekeepers will choose one hive type and stick with it.
- Langstroth – World wide standard
- National – UK Standard
- WBC – Pretty and looks amazing in the garden.
- Top Bar Hive.
All the hives have different advantages and disadvantages and core followers from each community. iIt is very hard to sum up the differences in a few words but i will give it a go.
Langstroth. – International standard. Easy to get hold of parts, functional, Rectangular. Has worked for hundreds of years and is really the first port of call for new innovations as it is the international standard.
National or British national. – this is very easy to get hold of in the UK and very popular. very similar to the Langstroth but square. This is interesting as you can put the frames perpendicular or parallel to the entrance, the warm way or the cold way,.
WBC – Definitely looks the part in a country home. Perfect if you want one or two hives on your front lawn. double insulated and more pretty than fiunctiional.
Top Bar Hives. Favorite for wood work enthusiasts. These hives are the classic self built and have a really dedicated following. they are now beginning to get standardized measurements and can be bought as hive units but are traditionally more the self build.
My choice was largely directed by my interest in the Flow Hive system, and when I bought into the initial fund raising campaign it was only available in Langstroth. I have therefore stuck to Langstroth ever since, and indeed the flow system. To this date I still don’t own a spinner and only harvest clear honey from the flow system.
I started my journey with a lovely wooden flow hives and moved into few simple Langstorth wooden flat tops. The type you can get as a beginners kit fairly cheaply. These were great but I have since expanded onto a few different types and love to try out new structures. I’m a big fan of using the latest technology if it works for you and is right for the bees. I love Langstroth as it is standardized world wide but modern materials are also a real help. poly hives are warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
What I am looking for in a hive.
The beekeeping world is full of hives and opinions so I think it helps to think very carefully about what you are after in a hive and base your hive choice on your requirements. Going down the wrong path too early can be costly if it sets you in the wrong direction and forces you to continue to “Do Wrong” just so that your equipment will fit. Here are some of my requirements when it comes to judging a new hive set-up..
- Standardised frame setup that allows me to inspect, harvest and care for my bees.
- Warm in winter cool in summer – This is key to my liking of poly hives. Bees spend less effort regulating their temperature and more effort making honey.
- Fully Lockable – It is really useful to be able to lock your bees up. This could be because you need to transport them, or because your neighbour is spraying pesticide and you want to give your bees 24 hours inside. Being able to lock them up securely is super important to me. I often transport my hives around and having them loose in the car with me is not a funny joke. On more than one occasion I have had to stop at lights and jump out of my car to expel a load of bees much to the amusement of the car behind.
- Entrance that can be reduced and choose between queen excluder locked and fully open. – Managing your hives through their entrances is standard practice. Being able to open and close the entrance and restrict the queen from leaving is useful as well as being able to open fully in the height of summer.
- Note: most of the time the full colony is able to leave. Bees are not captive. They stay in my hives because they choose to stay in my hives and reap the rewards in return for some honey.
- Adjustable feet- being able to level your hive on a slightly wonky stand is very useful design aspect of the hive.
Hive Naming
I trend to name my hives after the colour of the brood chamber:
- Red Hive (RH)
- Green Hive (GH)
- Blue Hive (BH)
- Blue Wood Hive (BWH)
- White Hive (WH)
- Purple Hive (PH)
- Yellow Hive (YH)